The Hindu Business Line : Guidelines sought on joint mangrove management in AP

THE Swaminathan Research Foundation wants the Union Government to formulate clear policy guidelines on joint mangrove management (JMM), along the lines of joint forest management (JFM), to involve the local communities in mangrove conservation efforts.

At a media workshop organised by the foundation here on Monday, Dr T. Ravishankar, the Associate Director, said that for the past seven years or so,the foundation had been involved in mangrove conservation efforts and based on its experience, it had arrived at the conclusion that a joint mangrove management should be taken up to protect the precious mangrove systems.

"During the past 12 years, afforestation could be taken up on 14.5 million hectares due to JFM and a similar massive exercise is required to conserve mangroves," he said.

Dr Ravishankar said that there was very little awareness on the importance of mangroves and how they served as breeding grounds and nurseries for the fish and prawns.

In Andhra Pradesh, mangroves can be found on 33,000 hectares in the Krishna-Godavari zone and the Coringa mangroves in East Godavari, in particular, were very important.

After the 1996 cyclone, the foundation had taken up conservation work and has, so far, restored 520 hectares of mangroves in the district. There was good response from the local community, as the foundation had helped them find alternative means of livelihood and reduce their dependence on mangroves.

However, Dr Ravishankar said, it was necessary for the Union Government to lay down clear-cut guidelines on JMM so that the forest departments of different States could implement them with suitable modifications.

"Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have shown keen interest in taking up JMM. We have framed certain draft guidelines and sent them to the Union Government for consideration," he said.

Mr R. Narayana Kumar, principal scientist, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, said the East Godavari

district accounted for 36 per cent of the fish production in the State but the catch was declining. Mangroves should be conserved to augment marine resources, he said. In the Coringa mangroves, Mr Kumar said, 32 species of prawns could be found but their number was dwindling due to indiscriminate fishing of juveniles and other modes of exploitation.

"The rich bio-diversity of mangroves should be protected and an economic valuation of the mangrove eco systems should be attempted as in the advanced countries," he said.

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